Project Spotlight
We find that a lot of our viewers enjoy seeing what projects look like before they’re started and then once they’re finished. However, today we’ve decided to change things a bit from some of the recent posts, and while you’ll still see a few before pictures, we wanted to make this post a Project Spotlight. We want to help our future customers, or anyone else out there browsing the internet, with some inspiration and we think that showcasing one of our recent projects may help with that. The Project Spotlight today has a lot of different pieces to it, so you may find you like the overall finished project or you may just like a few particular aspects – both of which are totally understandable! We hope you enjoy the project highlighted below and let us know if it provides any inspiration for you and your own outdoor space! As promised we’ll start with two pictures of what some of the areas looked like before they were finished: Here’s a look at what will become a set of stairs made out of boulders leading from the upper part of the yard down to where the pool will be: And here’s concrete that had recently been poured for the upper patio: As you can probably see from just a few before pictures the amount of work that went into creating this space, and we think it turned out beautiful and we hope you enjoy it as well! Here a few key accent features of the project: Covered walkway with mason stones: Two sets of double doors leading out to a masonry landing and stairs: The finished set of natural looking stairs (compared to the before picture above) created with large boulders: A large focal point of the yard is the pool and spa that was part of the project which is pictured below. A large spa sits on higher ground above the large, organic shaped pool: The spa surrounded by landscaping: Organic shaped pool with a patio on one side with plenty of room of seating and furniture: Another view of the pool area with patio: An important aspect to any outdoor living space is the landscaping that is designed to compliments the area. Large boulders and flowers accent the features integrated into the design: Landscaping surrounding the patio still allowing guests to view the pool below: Trees and shrubbery around the property: Let us know what inspiration this project spotlight may have brought to you and feel free to reach out to us to talk about some of your own ideas you may have! In addition, if you liked these images, be sure to head over to our main galleries page to see even more!
Before And After – Project 3
Today, we’re continuing our series of showcasing projects before and after completion! We think it’s important for future clients to understand how big a transformation your outside space can through you with a new landscape design and what it may look like in the process. With keeping that in mind take a look below to see the latest transformation! There were a lot of different aspects to this yard including adding a pool with a water slide, a covered patio and bar area, and some big impact landscaping pieces. In addition to the new additions to be added there was an already existing deck and a pretty large sized yard to work with. Below you can see what the existing yard and deck looked like before Sal’s Nursery started to do any type of construction or work. Before we started construction we laid the basic plan in the yard to help highlight where a lot of the construction would take place. You can see the highlighted lines on the grass showing where the future pool and surrounding areas would be going! Once we had the plan laid out it was time to start construction! Here’s the the future site of the new water slide and pool, followed by the new fire pit and surrounding patio. Although construction can take time and patience it always pays off in the end when our customers finally get to see their new outside space and start enjoying it with friends and family. Here you can see the final outcome of the water slide and the fire pit. And here’s a few more bonus pictures showing off the rest of the overall project! Make sure you check out our previous Before and After posts if you missed them! You can find them here: Project 1, Project 2, Philly Design Home 2014, and head on over to “Our Process” page to learn a bit more about what goes into our projects!
Outdoor Lighting Ideas
When someone starts planning out their backyard space a lot of things may come to mind initially – types of flowers, kinds of pavers, the shape of a pool. Something that many home owners may over look at first is what type of lighting they’re going to integrated into their space. Although lighting may sound like it’s just something you need to have in order to see when it gets dark, the lighting choices you make can really have an impact on the overall feel of the space and give you a chance to get creative with it! If you take a look at the pictures below for example, we’re highlighting the progression of a yard from daytime, to dusk, to night time. It helps to illustrate how all the various types of outdoor lighting that has been built into their yard helped to create great aesthetic appeal while still providing function. There are a variety of ways that you can incorporate lighting into your yard, so check out our ideas below to get some inspiration and ideas as to how you may want to integrate outdoor lighting into your space. 1. Natural Light An outdoor fireplace or fire pit can give your yard a nice warm glow, and keep you warm on chilly nights! 2. Pillar Lighting Integrating lights onto the tops of your pillars can be very functional in terms of helping you find your way, but it’s also a chance to show off a particular style or design you may want to highlight in your yard. 3. Pool Lighting The pool is a great place to incorporate lighting and underwater lighting can create some amazing effects and ambiance! 4. Hidden Lighting Sometimes you just want lights to act as a functional element and don’t really want to draw attention to them. Just as many houses included recessed lighting inside, outdoor spaces can make great use of incorporating them as well! 5. Creative Lighting Choosing lighting fixtures can really say a lot about a space, so choosing fixtures that highlight your decor and style choices is a great way to integrate lighting while also making is a focal point! 6. Accent Lighting Integrating lighting behind a bar or under a countertop is a great way to subtly highlight some features of your space, especially if you have a great outdoor-indoor wet bar! 7. Front Yard Lighting In all this talk about lighting your yard, you can’t forget about the front part of your house as well. Integrating lighting into your house, as well as driveway and walkways can create a very welcoming, yet impressive entry. If any of these outdoor lighting ideas may have sparked an interest reach out to us and we’d be happy to talk them over with you! Or share this with your friends and see which ideas may inspire them!
Before And After – Philly Design Home 2014
We’ve made a few posts now showing the before and after with previous projects, but we wanted to do one with a bit of a twist. A little while ago we showed you the work we did on the Philly Design Home 2014 house (and if you missed it be sure to check out that post here, “Philly Design Home 2014”). It was a great project to work on and collaborate with so many other great companies. We wanted to elaborate on the project a bit and give you some behind the scenes of what the area looked like before it was 100% complete! If you haven’t checked out the other post yet, here’s a completed look at what the finished project was. We created a pool, outdoor kitchen, some landscaping, a covered patio with fireplace, and implemented some water features in the yard as well. Before we got to this beautiful finished product though there was quite a bit of construction and building that had to go on first. Check out the images below of the Philly Design Home 2014 to see a before and after look of some of the features of the space: A look at the front of the house: An inside sunroom that leads out the patio as well as a covered portion of the patio off to the right: The outdoor kitchen being built: An overhead shot of the pool, outdoor kitchen, patio, and yard with some landscaping: And as an extra bonus we’ve included a few more images of the finished house that were not featured in the previous post but that we hope you enjoy! Front yard landscaping: Masonry wall outlining yard with fence: Masonry Wall outlining property with water features and lighting fixtures: In ground pool with water features: Covered patio with outdoor fireplace and lighting: Outdoor Kitchen with grill station, bar seating, and additional appliances:
Before And After – Project 2
It’s always a great feeling when you can step back and look at the work you’ve finished, and we’re no different when it comes to the projects we complete for our customers. It’s a great feeling when we can go back and look at the pictures from before or during the construction and then look at the final outcome that we know our clients will be able to enjoy. So based on the popularity of one or our previous posts showing the before and after transformation of one of our projects, we thought we would share another one! Now you can join in that amazing feeling of seeing the finished product when compared to what it looked like originally! For this particular project we focused on the large pool, landscaping, and retaining walls built near the house. As you will see the house already had some landscaping done at the house, but we worked with the owners and replaced it with something that complimented their space nicely as well as give them a fresh new look! To start you can see the house has a beautiful porch and originally it had curved retainer walls lining the outside with some landscaping that needed a little bit of updating. We replaced those original walls with straight walls crafted with masonry and gave them some new landscaping. In addition to the retaining walls, we also replaced the stairs leading from the pool to the covered patio so they would match the new walls and the new patio around the pool while still complimenting the existing house. Once we move away from the patio we come to the new pool and patio area that was created. There was an existing pool, however, we replaced that with a new pool that includes a connected but raised spa. In the pictures below you can see what the area looked like once we started construction on the new pool and then what it looked like once it was finished: In addition to the pool and the patio area, we also did a good amount of landscaping around the area. Although the pictures below aren’t of the same exact area, it helps to illustrate an idea of what the landscaping in the area looked like before and what the new landscaping looked like after. Here’s a few more pictures below to give you an idea of what the rest of the finished area looked like! We’ll be posting more before and after projects in the future so make sure you check back for new postings or visit our ‘Process’ page where we post links to all of our before and after posts to see more! If you like what you see here or on of our other posts be sure to reach out to us and we’d love to talk with you!
How To Make Your Backyard the Summer Hangout Spot
During the summer months we all love to get together with friends and family for some backyard BBQs, pool parties, or just to hang out during the afternoon. As much as fun as it is to go and visit our friends, sometimes we just want to stay in our own backyard and have our guests come over for a visit. So we’re here to give some insights as to how you can make your backyard the perfect summer hangout spot that all your friends will be talking about! Keep It Cool The first thing so many of us look to in the summer months is some relief from the heat! As much as we love enjoying the nice weather, sometimes being in that direct sun light can be a little much. Therefore we recommend keeping some cool and shady spots available in the yard with things such as a covered patio. Having a patio or deck with a cover will still allow your guests to feel the cool breezes and warm air of the summer months, but without the need to be right under the sun. And as an added bonus, it’ll still let you enjoy those summer days even if there is a little rain! Get Fired Up A great center piece for any backyard that is sure to create some excitement is a fire pit or even an outdoor fireplace. Over the past several years these features have becoming increasingly popular, and they’re a great way to top off any evening outdoors! Grab some s’more supplies, a few friends, and gather around the fire! Make A Splash! It pretty much goes without saying that a pool could easily make you the center of attention on those hot summer days! Whether you want to host a pool party or just have a few people over to take a refreshing dip, a pool is the perfect summer hangout spot. Pools can range from large sizes with plenty of room for water sports, or a smaller pool just big enough to offer some relief from the hot sun – either one is a perfect addition for any backyard! A Day At The Spa! There aren’t many things more relaxing than going to a spa, but being able to relax and escape the world for a bit right in your own back yard would be a pretty close 2nd. Invite a few friends over and indulge in your own private spa or hot tub right in your own yard. Whether you want to relax during a sunny afternoon or underneath a sky full of stars, we’re sure your friends won’t be too far behind. Serving It Family Style Who doesn’t love getting together with friends and family and having a classic summer backyard cook out? You don’t want to be stuck inside cooking while everyone is enjoying the nice weather outside, so integrating an outdoor kitchen or grill station to your backyard is sure to make everyone happy! Whether you’re cooking gourmet meals or the classic hamburger and hot dog, hungry friends and family will certainly be looking forward to coming over for a delicious meal! Front Row Seats As much as we all love going to sporting events, sometimes the best seat can be the one right in your own back yard! Invite the guys and girls over for the big game to your backyard bar complete with your own big screen TV so you’re sure not to miss any of the action! Friends will love having a place to watch the entertainment while still enjoying the outdoors and maybe a few beverages too! Stay Awhile! Integrating comfy seating and furniture into your backyard space is definitely an important part to having your friends and family feel at home in your backyard. Once you have the perfect patio, deck, or pool built it’s time to finish it off with the perfect couch, chair, or lounge! Invite your guests to kick off their shoes and take a load off as they relax and enjoy the perfect summer hangout spot. Backyard Oasis And lastly, but certainly not least, creating a serene atmosphere and ambiance for both you and your guests is the perfect finishing touch for any space. Integrating landscaping into the yard can help you create the perfect area that compliments you and your space. Whether you want a yard full of flowers and shrubs or just a few large trees to act as a privacy screen, the landscape design will be the perfect compliment for any popular summer hangout spot. We hope these ideas will help inspire you to create a backyard summer hangout that is perfect for you and your guests! We’d love to help you create the perfect spot so don’t hesitate to reach out to us or follow us on Facebook, Google+, or Houzz for more ideas!
5 Ideas to Bring the Indoors Outdoors!
1. Cooking…with an outdoor kitchen Cooking and gathering around the table for a delicious home-cooked meal is always something fun to do, and it’d be great to bring that from your kitchen table to your backyard with an outdoor kitchen. Integrating an outdoor kitchen or grill station into your yard will allow you to enjoy those beautiful evenings outside while still creating a home-cooked meal and enjoying the company of family and friends! 2. Entertaining…with an outside bar and entertainment area Whether it’s to watch a sport’s game, catch up on life, or watch a new movie, having friends and family over is always a great time. Aside from a basement or family room, integrating a space into the outdoors for entertaining can be the perfect way to bring your interior and exterior spaces together. Integrating a bar with seating and a mounted outdoor television can create the perfect space for those big sport games and outside fun! 3. Relaxing…with a large outdoor spa. We all have those spots where we just like to sit and relax and escape from the world around us. Some individuals take a bath in the privacy of their own home as a form of relaxation, and by integrating an outdoor spa into your backyard you can create that same feeling while being surrounded by nature. It’s the perfect way to bring the serenity of your home into your outdoor space. 4. Warmth…with an outdoor fireplace There are plenty of houses that have beautiful fireplaces built in them, offering both a beautiful glow and warmth on cold winter nights. Those fireplaces can not be brought into your yard as well, with beautiful masonic outdoor fireplaces. Perfect for those chilly fall or spring nights, integrating an outdoor fireplace (or fire pit) into your yard will undoubtedly bring that cozy feeling from your indoor fireplace into the outdoors. 5. Personal Touches…with furniture, decorating, and lighting One of the most important things to integrating your inside space with your exterior space is to bring your own sense of style. Perhaps it comes in the form of beautiful outdoor furniture, elegant lighting, or colorful plants, but whatever it may be, make sure your outdoor space is a reflection of you and your personal style.
Philly Design Home 2014
This past year we had the privilege of partaking in the Philly Design Home 2014. Working alongside some amazing companies, we were involved with helping to create a beautiful modern home that visitors were able to visit and walk through to get ideas for their own spaces. For our portion of the house we focused on the outdoor entertainment and landscaping assets utilizing our extensive skills in landscape design. Our challenge was to take a tight back-yard and transform it into a functional and beautiful space, which we were able to do by creating a formal entertainment area with a pool, outdoor kitchen, and maintaining useful yard space. We wanted to make the yard functional for a variety of purposes, whether it be entertaining friends, cooling off in the pool on a hot day, having backyard cook outs, or gathering around an outdoor fireplace on chilly evenings. Take a look below at some of the stunning images and details showcasing our portion of the Philly Design Home 2014: An overview of the yard showcasing the formal entertainment area along with plenty of yard space still available. In addition, outdoor speakers and lighting were integrated into the design to enhance the full gamut of property use. An outdoor kitchen provides plenty of space to entertain guests outside with a large seating area and cooking space, along with room for outdoor dining furniture. The property had a bit of slope to it, so in order to make the space still functional we integrated retaining walls along the property that were integrated with beautiful landscaping and water features. In addition to the outdoor kitchen, a covered patio and fireplace were created to really allow the yard to be used for entertaining and enjoyment year-round. In addition to creating all the backyard features, we also had a focus on the landscaping at the front of the house where we focused on implementing a design that complimented the style of the house and would draw visitors and guests in. We really enjoyed our time working on the Philly Design Home 2014 and encourage you to check out additional information about it at the Philly Design Home 2014 website. And if you have any additional questions or see any ideas you may like for your own space don’t hesitate to reach out to us and visit our contact page!
Debuting Our New Site!
We’ve recently been working with a local web development company, Apex Design Studio, to update the Sal’s Nursery and Landscaping website and we’re very excited to share the final product with you! If you’ve visited our previous site you’ll notice the overall style of the site has changed quite a bit, but a few things have stayed rather similar also. We wanted to give you a quick overview of the new site to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the features! The Galleries We heard from many of our customers that the project galleries were one of their favorite and most used things, so we really wanted to make sure we highlighted them here on our new site. Our home page now brings you right to the galleries segmented into service categories with easy to find navigation at the top of the page. In addition to the brief overview and feature image, within each gallery you’ll find high-resolution / high-impact images showcasing some of our past projects. Hopefully looking through them will help inspire you to start getting some ideas for your next project! The Process We really want to help our customers understand the journey they will take when working with us, and by highlighting our process we hope to do just that. Although this page was featured on our previous site as well, keep an eye out because now we are going to continue adding in previous project spotlights focusing on before and after images! The Blog We’re really excited about our new blog page! With a clean and simple layout, the posts are easier than ever to navigate now and will certainly be offering a lot of new tips, tricks, and insider looks for our users to learn about! Make sure you check back weekly for the newest blog posts so you don’t miss anything! The Contact Page Like what you saw so far, or just looking for some more information? Make sure you head over to contact page where you can send us a message or connect with us on one of our many social media channels. We love to hear from past, present, and new clients so make sure you reach out and connect with us! Mobility Many of you may be finding yourself using your mobile devices to look at websites or images more often than before, so we really wanted to make sure our site would look good no matter what device you would be on. Therefore, you can be assured that no matter what platform you’re visiting our site on, you’ll be getting the experience that we created for you! So feel free to explore and let us know what you think! We hope you enjoy the new site!
Why Won’t My Hydrangea Bloom?
This is one of the most common questions we receive from our customers, and we thought it may be helpful to do a blog post to help explain this perplexing question. Hydrangeas are beautiful flowers, and we want to make sure yours are blooming to their full potential by offering some simple, but effective tips! There are three key factors in ensuring beautiful blooms: pruning, planting location, and weather. 1. Pruning It’s important to prune your hydrangeas to ensure they grow, however, pruning at the wrong time could be a main reason why they are not blooming. Depending on the species of hydrangea you have, you will need to prune at different times. For Bigleaf and Oakleaf hydrangea you should prune on the previous year’s growth. This means you should be pruning lightly after flowering is complete, and then remove any dead growth in the early spring. For Panicle and Smooth hydrangea flowers, pruning should be done on the current year’s growth and can be pruned anytime from the late summer until early spring. 2. Planting Location It’s not only important to know the species of hydrangea you have for pruning, but also for planting purposes. Certain species benefit from being in the shade, but if the plant receives too much shade or too much sun it could effect its ability to produce blooms. Most hydrangeas find they like morning sun and afternoon shade, but it does vary based on the type of plant. So if you’re finding your plant isn’t blooming, it could be beneficial to move it to a location that receives different sun or shade amounts than it currently is receiving. 3. Weather Weather is always a big variable for most types of plants, and it’s no different with hydrangeas. Depending on where the plant is located it may be necessary to provide winter protection, however the time when protection is needed the most is when they encounter a late frost. By this point the new buds have already begun to emerge, but a late frost could cause damage to the new buds and leave you waiting until the following year for your blooms depending on the species. Therefore, be sure to keep an eye on the weather and provide protection to your plants during those late frosts to ensure you can enjoy your beautiful plants. Did You Know?? Did you know you can actually have control over changing the colors of your hydrangeas. Changing colors of the hydrangea macrophylla (Bigleaf, Mophead, or Lacecap Hydranges) is typically done by altering the soil’s pH levels. The pH level in soil is measured on a scale of 0 – 14, with 7 being neutral. By altering that pH level we can change the color of the flower to either blue or pink. How Do I Get Blue Flowers? To get your flowers to be blue you’ll need to adjust the pH level of the soil to be between 5.0 and 5.5, which can be done by adding aluminum sulfate to make the soil more acidic. How Do I Get Pink Flowers? To get the flowers to be pink you’ll need to make the pH level of the soil around 6.0. In order to make the soil more alkaline you can use limestone. Helpful Tips – If you plant flowers near concrete structures (walkways, walls, porches, etc.) they will most likely turn pink, because concrete leaches lime and the lime will make the soil more alkaline. – It is easier to change flowers from pink to blue, typically because you add aluminum to get blue flowers, but need to subtract the aluminum to get pink flowers. – When adjusting soil pH make sure to read all directions and use appropriate dilution ratios. ———————————————————————————————————————————–